12 days of Christmas: gingerbread house tips

Creating and building gingerbread houses is a staple of the winter holiday season, but sometimes our creations fall flat. Here are some tips to help you create the best gingerbread houses of the year.

1. Map out your decorations and theme beforehand.

Knowing how you want to decorate and design your house will make the process easier! Make sure everything is out in the open and ready to use so you don’t have to waste time rummaging around for those gumdrops.

2. Icing is your friend!

Lather up the icing to make sure your walls and roof stick together. Put egg whites in the icing to thicken it up and make it like glue.

3. Use nonstick spray when you make the dough.

Gingerbread dough is sticky. Make sure you use plenty of oil, butter, or nonstick spray to make sure you can mold it properly.

4. Rotate the dough while rolling it out.

Rotating the dough will help shape it into a perfect rectangle.

5. Use a ruler to measure out your walls and roof.

Straight lines make your house look more professional and will make the outcome beautiful.

6. Map out your windows before you bake your gingerbread.

Wait to cut out your windows and doors until after you take the gingerbread out of the oven. Making slits beforehand will allow you to know what to cut out and it will keep your edges crisp.

7. Use a cheese grater to sand the edges.

Edges expand while baking. Sand the edges to make them straight again.

8. Hard candies make great stained glass windows.

Melt hard candies like jolly ranchers in your windows to give the illusion of multicolored stained glass. If the candy doesn’t reach the edges, use a toothpick to spread it while it’s still warm.

9. Use cans, cups, and flat pieces of cardboard to hold the roof shape.

Shape your roof by using everyday kitchen items. This will help the assembly process. Just make sure it’s completely dry before building the rest.

10. Add frosting inside the house.

Adding frosting inside the house will make it structurally sound and less likely to collapse.

Sydney Dahle is a fourth-year student studying history and political science at Utah State and is currently the Lifestyles Content manager for the Utah Statesman. She hails from St. Louis, Missouri, and spends her free time writing and listening to music.

—sydney.dahle@usu.edu

@dillydahle